By Jim Calfa: Trainer Robert Garcia says Dmitry Bivol should stay on the outside, use his height & reach to box Canelo Alvarez this Saturday night rather than targeting the Mexican star’s body for his powerful shots.
Garcia believes that Bivol (19-0, 11 KOs) will be opening himself up to getting hit with Canelo’s hard shots if he stays in close to go after his midsection, which is an inviting target.
The drawback to Bivol following Garcia’s advice to box from long range is that he’ll have to go the 12-round distance to win a decision against Canelo.
As fighters have found out in the past, it’s not easy to beat Canelo by a decision, no matter how well they perform. Can Bivol trust the judges to give him the victory if he outboxes Canelo on Saturday night?
Bivol is defending his WBA light heavyweight title against Canelo (57-1-2, 39 KOs) this Saturday night, May 7th, on DAZN PPV at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
It’s believed that Canelo, 31, has purposefully selected Bivol because he sees him as the weakest link among the three champions at 175.
Canelo could have chosen IBF/WBC champion Artur Beterbiev or WBO champion Joe Smith Jr, as both of them have shown interest in facing him. Still, instead, he picked Bivol, and that most are construed as him seeing vulnerability.
Bivol should fight smart
“It won’t be that easy because if he focuses on the body, it means he’s going to stand in front of Canelo to land those body shots,” said Robert Garcia to Fighthype, when asked if Dmitry Bivol should focus on attacking Canelo Alvarez’s body this Saturday night on May 7th.
“I don’t think it’s even too convenient for him [Bivol] to look for body shots, but that would favor Canelo because that would put him in a position where Canelo can land a little bit faster,” Robert continued.
“I think the smart thing for him to do is what he’s doing in the gym, fighting smart and staying on the outside, using his reach and those long straight punches,” said Garcia about Bivol.
“I think Canelo becoming the 175-lb champion again, he might want to become the undisputed at that weight too because [Artur] Beterbiev is going to fight [WBO light heavyweight champion Joe Smith Jr. on June 18th] also and unify, so all the belts will be on the line.
“It only takes one fight [for Canelo] to become undisputed again. So, that might be Canelo’s next step, maybe next year. The thing with Canelo is that even if you’re too fast or too strong, Canelo finds a way.
“I think Canelo is one of those guys that we see once in 20 years. You don’t see that too often. He adjusts to everything, he’s very strong physically, and he’s one of those fighters that you can’t hold back.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re too fast or too low; he’s going to find a way to get to you,” said Garcia.
